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An "Accidental" Grok

09-13-2012, 06:30 AM

Well, not exatly -- but let me explain!

Greetings from Washington DC. By way of background, I'm a 47-yr old naval officer (25+ years). I'm a divorced dad, father of four (Sons 22, 20, and 9, daughter 12). I'm remarried and have a 21-yr old step-daughter.

Because of the Navy, I've maintained "decent" condition over the years, but certainly not good. I'm 6 ft and 215 lbs, and probably around 25% body fat. Most of it is stored in my "love handles". My wife and I love the outdoors, and try to take the kids hiking and kayaking whenever we can.

I say I'm an "accidental" Grok because it's something that was always in the back of my mind but I couldn't quite articulate. I hated the idea of going to the gym to "work out" -- I wanted to get my exercise just through daily activities and work around the house and yard on the weekends...kind of like Grok did. Of course, the modern life doesn't offer the same level of opportunity to do that on a regular basis as Grok's did, so I was failing pretty miserably.

I came across references to the "Paleo Diet" and a link to the Daily Apple on another forum I'm on (too much time in front of the keyboard!), and it just "clicked". I downloaded the book, and the discussion about our evolutionary path and how our bodies were engineered to work just made perfect sense. I was floored to finally understand how our body reacts to the carbs and just how destructive they can be.

I see that reflected exactly in myself an my children. Two of my sons (20 and 9) and my step-daughter seem to have the "lucky" metabolism that keeps them skinny and fit. My oldest son, however, has put on way too much weight and his efforts to lose it have failed. My 12-yr old daughter is on the edge -- but the potential for her to put on pounds in her teenage years is there. And of course, I've been carrying a spare tire for more years than I care to count!

So after reading the book (on a Saturday), I decided that I would get prepared and start Primal Living a week from Monday (to give me time to stock up on truly healthy foods and snacks. But two days later, on Monday, I found myself avoiding the carbs. My wife and I went shopping that night, and I picked up plenty of Primal-friendly supplies. It's now Thursday, and I've been following the Primal plan for four days and have no intention of going back.

I'm still learning and I've made a few mistakes (I bought pepperoni before I read it was on the "Naughty" list because of the nitrites) but I'm getting there. I'm encouraging my wife to read the Blueprint so she can fully appreciate it. She supports me, and she believes in healthy eating, but she still thinks potatoes are okay "in moderation". I think once she reads the book and sees (hopefully!) my progress, she'll be convinced. I ordered the two cookbooks (she LOVES to cook) so she can see all the exciting possibilities. I think it work out pretty well!

The big challenge I face personally is that I do a LOT of international travel for my job. That means lots of hours on airplanes, and being overseas without the usual outlets to find Primal-friendly meals. It will take some time to get used to packing properly for the trips (I already know that bringing beef jerky - even store bought - is a big "no-no" in many countries). I used to bring snacks like Clif Bars and granola bars to tide me over...now I'll have to bring nuts and tuna packs instead! Once in country, I can't rely on my staple of "easy" food...I'll have to look for places to get good choices. Fortunately a lot of my travel is to Asia, so there's usually plenty of good fish available!

I'm also concerned about the kids, particularly the younger ones. They live with their mom, and spend the weekends with us. It will be pretty easy to get them adjusted to a Primal life style while they're with us (they've proven very flexible at adapting from their video-game world at home to an outdoor world with us!), but the other 5 days of the week they'll be bombarded with all the so-called healthy crap. They're still a bit young to be asserting for themselves completely, and I know they'll quickly fall back into their old patterns when they're away from us. I'm hoping that if we show success with the Primal lifestyle, that maybe I can convince my ex-wife (we're on very good terms) - who has always struggled with weight and health herself - to give it a try.

Wow...I just looked back and saw what a long-winded intro this was! Hats of to anyone who has made it this far in the reading!

Anyway, I'm happy to be on the Primal path and I'm looking forward to reforging my life in a way that will keep me around to lead a long and productive life for many years to come!

Comment

Getting younger kids into the primal eating mind-set can be difficult, especially in your situation. As parent to 3 grown kids who I fed about 70-75% primal, they'll thank you for it in the long run, even if you can only do it part time. When my son finished BUD/S he thanked me for being a "mean" mom... he had no problem with any part of the training (mental or physical), including eating snakes during SERE training!

Comment

A warm welcome from a former Marine officer. Not on topic, but the longer I was in the Corps, the more respect I developed for the Navy. You Navy officers are grade A1 in my book.

That said, welcome to the primal world. It has made a huge difference for me, and I hope and expect that you and yours will find the same.

Thanks for the welcomes, everyone!

Mike, I'd be interested to compare notes some time on where you shop. My wife and I love the Farmer's Market in Old Town on Saturday, and the Old Town Butcher Shop. I'm on the look out for any good sources of Primal goodies!

Jim

Comment

I'm still learning and I've made a few mistakes (I bought pepperoni before I read it was on the "Naughty" list because of the nitrites) but I'm getting there. I'm encouraging my wife to read the Blueprint so she can fully appreciate it. She supports me, and she believes in healthy eating, but she still thinks potatoes are okay "in moderation".

Actually, potatoes are okay and are perfectly primal. Yes, it may be a good idea to avoid them for a while to really get started and to become fat adapted, but once you are "healed" I wouldn't stress the occasional potato. Certainly for children they are a good and affordable source of nutrients.
Credit to Mark: he has been writing about "cellulal" versus "acellular" carbohydrates after the publication of Ian Spreadbury's fascinating paper "Comparison with ancestral diets suggests dense acellular carbohydrates promote an inflammatory microbiota, and may be the primary dietary cause of leptin resistance and obesity" Comparison with ancestral diets suggests dense acellular carbohydrates
Something is moving in the paleo blogosphere and I wouldn't be surprised to see the good old potato "re-instated" at some point.

Comment

Actually, potatoes are okay and are perfectly primal. Yes, it may be a good idea to avoid them for a while to really get started and to become fat adapted, but once you are "healed" I wouldn't stress the occasional potato. Certainly for children they are a good and affordable source of nutrients.
Credit to Mark: he has been writing about "cellulal" versus "acellular" carbohydrates after the publication of Ian Spreadbury's fascinating paper "Comparison with ancestral diets suggests dense acellular carbohydrates promote an inflammatory microbiota, and may be the primary dietary cause of leptin resistance and obesity" Comparison with ancestral diets suggests dense acellular carbohydrates
Something is moving in the paleo blogosphere and I wouldn't be surprised to see the good old potato "re-instated" at some point.

See...I learned something new! Thanks!!

Comment

Mike, I'd be interested to compare notes some time on where you shop. My wife and I love the Farmer's Market in Old Town on Saturday, and the Old Town Butcher Shop. I'm on the look out for any good sources of Primal goodies!

Jim

Hi Jim. Didn't even notice before that you are in the 'Burg.

Another good source of local produce is the Spotsylvania farmer's market. Not sure how familiar you are with the area, but if head out Plank Road (route 3) toward Culpeper, it's in the commuter lot at Plank Road and Gordon Road, about 5 miles from downtown. It's open seasonally on Saturday mornings. At least one of the folks there sells grass-fed, grass-finished beef, as well as raw goat's milk.

There's also a primal friendly food store called Harvest Market, located a good bit farther out. It's near the Spotsylvania County courthouse. I've only been there a couple of times, but some local farmers bring in fresh eggs, meat, and produce for them to sell. Good stuff when the farmer's market is closed for the winter.

I really need to get to the butcher shop in town. Been too lazy so far. lol

Live your life and love your life. It's the only one you get.

Comment

Another good source of local produce is the Spotsylvania farmer's market. Not sure how familiar you are with the area, but if head out Plank Road (route 3) toward Culpeper, it's in the commuter lot at Plank Road and Gordon Road, about 5 miles from downtown. It's open seasonally on Saturday mornings. At least one of the folks there sells grass-fed, grass-finished beef, as well as raw goat's milk.

There's also a primal friendly food store called Harvest Market, located a good bit farther out. It's near the Spotsylvania County courthouse. I've only been there a couple of times, but some local farmers bring in fresh eggs, meat, and produce for them to sell. Good stuff when the farmer's market is closed for the winter.

I really need to get to the butcher shop in town. Been too lazy so far. lol

Mike -

Thanks for the info! We've been to the Spotsy Farmers' market (we used to live out that way). We're over in the Stafford County part of Fredericksburg now (north of Falmouth), so downtown is more convenient. I haven't checked out the meats at the downtown market, but there are several vendors so hopefully at least one is grass-fed!